The Scandal of Identity TheftSample

The Power Of Free Will

I want you to continue to remember you are a living soul, and I also want to remind you of the definition of identity we are zoning into: “exact likeness in nature and qualities.” These two elements are vital to your freedom going forward. While I do not like to give the enemy of our soul much airtime, I believe it is critical to understand that we have an enemy. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Jesus is specifying that the purpose of the thief—the enemy of our souls—is to steal, kill, and destroy. He has no other agenda; he doesn’t have a merciful bone in him—no love, no compassion, only hate toward God and His creation. Every day we arise, we face both the good Father and the evil thief, and we must know and recognize whose voice is speaking to us as we make choices and decisions toward a good end.

In the Garden of Eden, God created all the trees and plants that man would need to nourish and sustain himself, but God also instructed man about the one tree in the garden that he should not eat of. He told him this tree would bring death if he were to eat from it.

What makes man most potent is the power of choice, and without the tree of knowledge of good and evil being in the presence of man, the power to exercise free will would not be there. God made us with a free will, and He hopes that with our free will we will choose Him, and that makes us so much like God. Adam and Eve had an opportunity to show God their loyalty, love, and appreciation by submitting their free will in obedience to His instructions. Just like Adam and Eve, we are also given this powerful ability to obey the teachings of God or believe the lies of the enemy.

The enemy waited; he lurked around and studied the moves of Adam and Eve daily. He watched them from a distance as they made their way around the garden, and he started to shoot his little flaming arrows of lust toward Eve, making the tree she was not to eat from look much more attractive as the days went by. Maybe Eve lingered around that tree more and more, and her curiosity was building daily; perhaps she started spending more time than she should have in the vicinity of the tree, and the fruit became more and more appealing. I don’t think Eve just woke up one day and said, “I think I will just eat from this tree today.” The enemy lured and enticed her to that tree over time.

The devil lies to Eve by convincing her that God has lied to her; he sows seeds of distrust, making her believe that God is holding back something good from them. And the biggest lie is conveyed to Eve: she will not die, but she will actually become like God. Let me remind you of the definition of identity again: “exact likeness in nature and qualities.” And God said initially, “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature” (Gen. 1:26, MSG). The truth from Scripture is that man was already created in God’s image and likeness, reflecting His nature and qualities. Mankind was already formed and fashioned after its Father, and the enemy lied to humanity about who it was and stole its identity. The devil convinces Eve that she won’t die and that she will actually gain from being disobedient to God. At that moment, Eve uses her power to choose, and she chooses a lie over the truth.

It is essential we learn how to cherish the word of God because His words are more valuable than silver and gold, and His words will always bring life. I hope that from today you will become more aware of the power you hold with your free will, and I pray that your choices will be driven by God’s truth and not the lies of the enemy!